Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has published a report on the operations of Warsaw’s Southern Hospital. The document identifies numerous irregularities, including the mixing of healthcare services financed by the National Health Fund (NFZ) with commercial activities, the admission of scheduled patients through the Emergency Department (ED) registration desk, excessive workloads imposed on medical staff, and the use of certain hospital facilities for purposes other than those intended.
Southern Hospital Under Fire – NIK Report
The Supreme Audit Office examined the operations of Warsaw’s Southern Hospital between 2022 and 2025. The audit, launched on the Office’s own initiative in September 2025, uncovered a number of irregularities. As a result, NIK issued 11 post-audit recommendations to the hospital.
Among the Office’s key concerns was the organization of medical staff schedules, which resulted in excessive workloads. One physician worked 304 hours and 30 minutes in a single month, while one nurse logged 249 hours.
According to NIK, such excessive working hours not only have a negative impact on medical personnel themselves but may also reduce the quality of healthcare services, increase the risk of adverse events, and ultimately endanger patients’ health and lives.
The auditors also found that the audited departments – General Surgery and Internal Medicine – were staffed with significantly fewer personnel than had been declared to the National Health Fund.
Spine Surgery Center Operating Outside the Hospital Structure
The Supreme Audit Office also raised concerns about the operation of the Warsaw Spine Surgery Center (WCCK), which, despite being widely advertised, did not formally exist within the hospital’s organizational structure.
Within the Department of Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery – where WCCK operated – the hospital failed to properly separate publicly funded healthcare services provided under its contract with the National Health Fund from paid commercial services. Medical personnel, equipment, and operating rooms financed by the NFZ were simultaneously used for commercial procedures. Physicians’ schedules were arranged in such a way that they worked under their NFZ contracts and in private practice at the same time.
Patient rooms designated for WCCK patients – known as inpatient rooms – were inadequately equipped, lacking basic facilities such as sinks, soap, and paper towels.
Instead, one of the rooms contained a television, furniture including armchairs, a table, an examination couch, and a kitchenette, while most of its usable floor space remained unused.
Scheduled Patients Registered Through the Emergency Department
The auditors also criticized the practice of admitting scheduled patients through the hospital’s Emergency Department (ED), even though, under Polish law, the ED is intended exclusively for patients facing sudden threats to life or health.
According to the head of the Emergency Department, scheduled patients did not join the ED queue, did not delay urgent admissions, and were registered only when no emergency patients were waiting. Nevertheless, NIK concluded that the practice could interfere with emergency admissions.
Health Minister Responds
On Wednesday morning, Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda was asked to comment on the audit’s findings.
“I am not familiar with the details (of this report – editor’s note), but I believe that, above all, the hospital’s new management board, supervisory board, and owner should review its findings and implement the necessary measures,” she said during an interview with Radio Zet.
Asked whether reviewing the report also fell within her responsibilities and whether she should investigate issues such as deficiencies in hospital documentation or registration records, she replied that “these are definitely matters that fall under the responsibility of the owner and the healthcare provider.”
Trzaskowski: Conclusions Will Be Drawn
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski also commented on the report, stating during a press conference that City Hall was analyzing its contents.
“We will draw conclusions from the report,” he said, adding that his priority was ensuring that Southern Hospital and Warsaw’s healthcare system could function normally.
Criminal Investigations Continue
The Southern Hospital case gained nationwide attention following a June 15 publication by the Zero.pl news portal. According to the outlet’s findings, physician Dawid Kacprzyk – then the Emergency Department coordinator and a local councillor representing Civic Coalition (KO) in Warsaw’s Ursus district – allegedly earned approximately PLN 1.6 million in 2025 while completing his anesthesiology residency.
The portal also reported allegations that politicians from Civic Coalition (KO) received preferential treatment at the hospital.
The Warsaw Regional Prosecutor’s Office has launched two investigations involving Southern Hospital. One concerns suspected fraud amounting to more than PLN 500,000, while the other examines the possible abuse of authority by a public official, including issues related to patient triage procedures in the Emergency Department.
Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek stated that prosecutors have recorded 12 reports concerning deaths at Southern Hospital since 2023. Three cases resulted in decisions not to open criminal proceedings, four investigations were discontinued, and five remain ongoing.
The case is also being reviewed by Poland’s medical self-government, which has received a motion to suspend Dawid Kacprzyk’s medical license until prosecutors complete their investigation.
The hospital is currently being inspected by several institutions, including the National Health Fund (NFZ), Warsaw City Hall, the National Labour Inspectorate, and Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). The Ministry of Health has also instructed the Mazovian Voivode and the National Consultant in Emergency Medicine to inspect the Emergency Departments of both Southern Hospital and Bródno Hospital, including cases involving patient deaths during emergency treatment. In addition, Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office has announced a separate inspection concerning compliance with personal data protection regulations.